It was way more instinctive than one of those funny handshake routines with Paul Pogba.

Cleverer than the social media wizardry that occasionally lands him in trouble.

He did not mistake anyone for a barber that had been summoned to his hotel room.

And if we knew whether or not he was still with his model girlfriend, she would have approved.

Lingard and Vardy celebrate the England goal (Image: AFP)

Another intelligent display from the Manchester United man (Image: PA)

There is always plenty going on in Jesse Lingard’s world. He seems a fun-loving lad, that’s for sure.

But the quick-thinking moment he released Jamie Vardy for the goal that gave England the lead is what Lingard the footballer is all about.

It was not just a quick-thinking moment, it was a game-changing moment.

That is why Lingard has now got the jump on the young man recently described by Mauricio Pochettino as the best 21-year-old in world football.

That is why Lingard, as it currently stands, will be one of those keeping Dele Alli out of Southgate’s first-choice starting eleven.

Lingard evades Lorenzo Pellegrini (Image: AFP)

Alli didn't start and remained on the bench at Wembley (Image: Getty Images Europe)

Sure, it will be as much Southgate’s system that keeps Alli out as any individual, whether that individual be Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or whoever you choose.

The two bring different qualities to the table but it was still not an age ago when it would have been hard to imagine a scenario where Lingard was in an England team while a fit Alli was not, regardless of the system.

That is certainly the scenario now.

For all the links with Real Madrid and the like, for all Pochettino’s praise, Alli is now just a squad player for Southgate.

Alli wasn't called upon - he was against Holland and didn't impress (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

England's Raheem Sterling impressed (Image: PA)

Will it change when Harry Kane resumes duty? There is an obvious reason why it might but the fluidity provided by Lingard and Raheem Sterling is clearly becoming prized by Southgate.

There has always been a suggestion Southgate favours the pupils he nurtured in the junior ranks.

It is clear Lingard was a favourite of Southgate’s at under-21 level. Not quite a teacher’s pet but you wouldn’t be surprised if he got an apple or two from him.

Inevitably, blindingly obviously, there will be always be a wedge of players who progress through the ranks. Jack Butland, Eric Dier and John Stones were in the first under-21 squad assembled by Southgate in late summer of 2013.

But there is clearly a knot of players whose games, whose strengths, whose weaknesses and foibles are known by Southgate.

Southgate is happy to admit Lingard, 25, has always been high in his regard.

Assessing Lingard’s decent form for Manchester United, Southgate said: “It’s not a surprise for us because he is a player we have believed in from early on with the under 21s.”

Their belief has been solidified by Lingard’s eight Premier League goals and four assists this season. That compares to Alli’s six Premier League goals and nine assists.

Whichever way you look at it, the pair have been closely matched this season.

Again, it is not necessarily comparing like with like, but the performances of Lingard, Sterling and Oxalde-Chamberlain against Holland and now Italy suggest they are in the box-seats for starting positions at the World Cup.

Another start for Oxlade-Chamberlain (Image: 2018 Getty Images)

How will Alli bounce back? (Image: 2018 Getty Images)

How Alli reacts will be telling.

There is no hint that Southgate is anything other than happy with his attitude but this is a fresh challenge in Alli’s short but gilded career.

In the meantime, it was Sterling and Lingard who felt the love Raheem had asked for.

Lingard showed spark once more (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

The class of Lingard’s performance was not limited to the sharply-taken free-kick that freed Vardy.

An awareness and intelligence underscored his contribution and earned the applause as he left the field well ahead of the VAR decision that allowed Lorenzo Insigne to earn Italy a draw from the penalty spot.

When United fans had their doubts as he came through the Old Trafford ranks, Sir Alex Ferguson always insisted, in typically belligerent fashion, that Lingard would mature into a class act in his mid-twenties.